Damper control for house heating systems



Jan. 5, 1932. I .1. R. WILLIAMS DAMPER CONTROL FOR HOUSE HEATING SYSTEMS Filed March 24, 1930 19 J2 fnyenfor km; 1? Zia/71mm J j 5 49 M"? F J :07 612 J/Zarfiqyu Patented Jan. 5, 1932 PATENT OFFICE JAMES R. WIIILIAMS, 0F QUINCY, ILLINOIS ASSIGNOR TO H. M. SHEER COMPANY, OF

QUINCY, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS DAMPER CONTROL FOR HOUSE HEATING- SYSTEMS Application flled March 24, 1930. Serial No. 438,270.

My invention relates to an improvement in damper controls for house heating systems and the like, and has for one object to provide, in connection with a thermostatic control or automatic damper operating motor mechanism, means whereby an operator working on the furnace at a point removed from the automatic control, may manipulate the damper operating mechanism in such manner as to permit closing of the damper for coaling of the furnace without change in the balance of the apparatus, and whereby such control will automatically throw back into normal operation after a predetermined interval. Another object is the provision of means for varying the amount of heat etfective to control a'heat motor for actuating the damper and draft control. Another object is to render such variation responsive to the position of a controlling lever or levers for such damper or draft control. Other objects will appear from time to time in the course of the specification and claims.

1 illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fi ure 1;

l igure 3 is a front elevation with parts in section; and

Figure a is a wiring diagram.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, B generally indicates a panel or base upon which is mounted the housing 13 for the control mechanism below described. The mechanism includes a fluid motor having the expansion chamber B with the flexible bellows B Communicatingwith the space between the members B B is the passage B which in turn communicates with the heating cylinder or tube 13*. It will be understood that any suitable liquid or fluid which expands and contracts readily in response to changes in temperature may be employed. Any suitable means for heating the chamber B may be employed, and I indicate for example the resistanceor heating coil B which may be wound upon the insulating covering or tube B, which in turn is positioned about the sliding sleeve 15* which'is longitudinally slidable upon the cylinder or tube B.

Positioned adjacent the heat motor so described is a pivot bracket C upon which may be any suitable pivot pin C Mounted upon the pin C is a hub or plate C In the present instance the plate and pin are held against relative rotation, and the pin rotates. If desired, the pin could be held against rotation, and the hub or plate mounted to rotate upon it. Mounted for rotation in relation to pin and plate is a lever hub D having arms D D herein shown as integral with it. Associated with the hub and preferably held against movement in relation to it is the sleeve D with the cross arm or handle D. It will be understood that the hub D and the sleeve D are slidable as a-unit along the pin C D indicates an abutment at the end of the pin C and D a spring compressed between said abutment and the hub D. Said spring normally reaches the hub D toward the right, referring to the arts in the position in which they are shown, in Figure 1. The operator may manually withdraw the sleeve D to the left, by use of the handle D. D indicates a notch in the hub C and D a pin on the hub D adapted to penetrate said notch, when the positions are in the full line position of Figure 1. When in such position, the spring D prevents lateral movement of the hub D, and the levers D and D move in unison with the movement of the hub or disc C The pin D is cut away as at D", the cut away portion being of such size as to clear the indented or reduced portion D of the disc G which reduced portion abuts or is in communication with the notch D, but is of greater radius. VVhe'n the parts are in the dotted line position in which they are shown in Figure 1 and when the hub D is rotated slightly in relation to the hub C the base portion or completely round portion of the pin D overrides the hub C and serves as a spacing means, to hold the hub D and the parts in the dotted line position of Figure 1.

E indicates, a link or rod pivoted to the lever C, which may be integral with the plate or hub C This rod is indicated as extensible, as by the interposition between its ends of the screwthreaded sleeve E The '5 upper end of the rod E is in engagement with the cross bar or-connecting member E which in turn is in communication with the sliding sleeve B Referring to the wiring diagram of Fig- 19 are 4, G indicates any suitable room thermostat with the control setting member G. Gr G are terminals associated with the thermostat. G indicates a conductive connection extending from the terminal G to the sec- 15 ondary coil G of a transformer. Gr is a -primary coil in circuit with the power lines G, which may be actuated by any suitable source of electric power. Gr indicates a conductive connection between the secondary coil G and the resistance B". G indicates a conductive connection between the terminal G of the thermostat and the resistance B. shunted across the lines Gr and Gr is a conductive connection G in which is interposed the switch member G and its opposed fixed contact G Relating the wiring diagram to the other figures the fixed terminal G12 is shown in Flgure 1, and themoving switch member G opposed to it. When the parts are moved to the dotted line position the hub D moves the switch member G into contact with the terminal Gr and closes a circuit through the resistance B independent of the ther mostatG. In other words even though the room thermostat is set at a temperature lower than the room temperature, so that the circuit through the resistance B is normally broken, the manual withdrawal of the parts 40 to the dotted line position of Figure 1 will close the switch G and actuate the resistance It will be realized that whereas I have described and shown a practical and operative device, nevertheless many changes might be made inthe size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention. I therefore wish my description and drawings to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative and diagrammatic rather than as limiting me to my specific showing.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

In a thermostat operated control for a domestic heating plant, the operation is made to depend upon temperature conditions more or less remote from the heating plant, as by the use of a thermostat responding to temperature conditions in a dwelling house. In supplying solid fuel to a domestic heating plant, the-operator who stokes the furnace normally closes the check, if it is open, when he stokes. The present invention is directed to permit, the operator to interrupt, in this fashion, the normal thermostatic control of drafts and check, while insuring that this interruption shall not be permanent. Unless means are provided for terminating this manual interruption of the normally automatic thermostatic control, the operator may go oif and leave the furnace, and forget to return it to automatic control position. Referring in detail to the operation of the present device, assume that the levers D D are in the full line position in which they are shown in Fi 'ure 2, with the pin D engaging the notch l), and the lovers responsive to the normal thermostatic control through the heat motor. In this full line position, assume that the draft is closed and the check open, and that the operator wishes to open the draft, while stoking the furnace. The operator grasps the cross handle D, withdraws the sleeve D until the un-mutilated portion of the pin D clears the hub C He then turns the handle in clockwise fashion, putting the levers in the dotted line position of Figure 2, with the un-mutilatcd portion of the pin D abutting against the face of the hub C The levers D D are thereby dissociated from their normal fixed relationship in relation to the hub C At the same time the withdrawal of the sleeve has closed the circuit through the fixed contact Gr and the switch member G, as above explained, and the resistance 13 is actuated. This actuation of the resistance 13 is independent of the normal thermostatic control, and serves to ex pand the heat motor. The actuating connection E pivoted as at E to the hub C causes the hub to rotate in a clockwise direction, as the expansion member expands i]; res onse to the heating effect of the coil C overtakes the hub D, the pin D is aligned with the slot D, and the spring D then moves the parts back into the full line osition of Figure 1. This breaks the circult through the members D D, and permits the re sistance B to cool. The consequent collapse of the expansion member gives a counter clockwise rotation to the hub C and to the hub D and its associated levers, which are again moving as a unit with the hub. This counter clockwise movement again closes the draft and opens the check, until thermostatic actuation of the resistance 13 again rotates the hub C and D and the associated levers D D A characteristic feature ofthe invention herein described is the movable relation of the resistance B to the heating chamber. The importance of this movable relation rests in the fact that it varies the subjection of the heating chamber to heat in response to the expansion and contraction of the expansible chamber. Assume that the parts are in full line position in which they are shown in Figure 2 and that the thermostat,

s this expansion is completed the hub in response to a drop in the room temperature, closes a circuit through the resistance B. The resistance is actuated, and the entire area of the resistance is aligned with the wall of the heating chamber 13. I may employ a coil of considerable area and heating efl'ect which rapidly heats the fluid in the heat motor system and causes a quick expansion of the bellows. The member E then rotates the hub C and with it the levers D D and C As the lever C rises, it lifts the resistance B thus subjecting the fluid in the i system to a progressively smaller heating effeet. and in effect, damping down the heat as the need for the heat reduces. Eventually the parts reach the position of Figure 3, and the fluid in the system is subjected to the effect of only a small part of the coil B A balance is maintained, however, as any cooling of the system tends to rotate the levers l) C counter clockwise, thus increasing the etlective heating area or length of the coil 8. I am thus able to employ a highly ellicient coil, of greater heating efficiency than I could employ if the coil were in permanent relation to the heating chamber. This excess heating effect is suflicient to provide the quick starting which is an important feature of my device, and the consequent movement of the lever reduces the heating area to a normal requirement for maintaining the le-- vers in the full line position of Figure 3 until the increased heating effect of the furnace raises the room temperature sufiicient-ly to throw oi? the thermostat and break the heating circuit through the coil B". By forming the tube B with a large diameter at the top the return action of the bellows is faster than would be possible with a relatively more slender tube. A greater volume of liquid is present in proportion to the area of the walls of the tube than would be the case with a more slender tube. From this a quicker condensation of the vapor results when current is turned olf of the resistance element and thus a more rapid action in opening the check door of the furnace occurs when the thermostat circuit is broken.

I claim:

1. In a vapor motor, a closed system ncluding a work chamber and a communicating heating chamber positioned to collect vapors formed within the system, a fluid within said system, and means for heating it, including a heating element associated with said heating chamber, and means for moving said heating element in relation to said heating chamber in response to changes in pressure within the vapor motor system.

2. In a vapor motor, a closed system including a work chamber and a communicat ing heating chamber, a movable member associated with the work chamber and adapted to move in response to variations of pressure within the vapor motor system, a fluid within said system, and means for heating it, including a heating element associated with said heating chamber, and means for moving said heating element in. relation to said heating chamber in response to movement of said chamber and adapted to move in response to variation of pressure within said work chamber, a work performing member positioned adjacent said chamber, an actuating connection between said movable member and said work performing member, a fluid within said chamber and means for heating it, including -a heating chamber in communication with the work chamber and positioned to collect vapors formed within the system, a heating element associated with said heating chamber and means for moving said heating element, in relation to said heating chamber, in response to movement of the work performing member to vary the amount of heat transferred from the heating element to the fluid while constantly maintaining the same in heat transfer relation.

l. In a vapor motor, a work chamber, and a heating chamber in communication therewith, a fluid within the system so formed, and means for heating it including a heating member slidably mounted upon said heating chamber, and means for moving said heat-- ing member along said heating chamber in response to variations in pressure within the vapor motor system. v

5. The structure of claim characterized by the employment, as a. heating member, of an electric resistance and means for passing an actuating current therethrough.

6. The structure of claim 4 characterized in that, in response to such movement of the heating member, the area of the heating chamber subjected to heating action is increased in response to decreases "of pressure within the vapor motor system and-decreased in response to increases.

7. In a draft control, a vapor motor, and a heating chamber therefor, a movable element adapted to move in response to changes in pressure condition within the vapor motor, a work performing member and an actuating connection between said work performing member and the movable member, heating means associated with the heating chamber, and movable in relation thereto, and means for moving said heating means in response to movement of said work performing member to vary the amount of heat transferred from the heating element to the fluid while constantly maintaining the same in heat transfer relation.

h. Thc structure of claim "I characterized by the employment of (in electrical rt pmitioiwtl a ljnccnt said heating; chamber and movable in relation thereto.

i). The structure of claim 7 clmracterizetl by the employment of an electrical resistance positioned Hljzlttcn' 't. heating chainhcr 21ml movable in rclntion thereto, an actunting circuit therefor and a thermostatic 10 control in said actuating circuit.

10. The structure of claim 7 characterized by the ennjiloyment of an electrical resistance pur lllolit'tl adjacent said heating chamber and mm'uhlo'in relation thereto,'an actuating circuit therefor and a theiznicstzitic 0011 trol ll said actuating, circuit, and addition al nieiins for closing said actuating circuit, independent of said tllQIInOSilillLlU control.

ll. In a vapor motor. a closed chamber, n fluiil' within the chamber, means for heating the filtltl including an annular heating element telescopically associated with the chamber, and means for relatively moving the chamber and heating: element in response to pressure mriation within the chamber to vary the degree of telescopic engagement between the heating element and chamber.

11-2. in :1 vapor motor, a closed tubular chamber, n fluid Within the chamber, means for heating the fluid including a tubular coil of res stance wire surrounding the chamber, it suitable source of electric potential associated with the coil, the coil and chamber being relatively movable telescopically, and incnnstnr relatively moving the coil and chamber in response to pressure variations within the chamber to vary the degree of telescopic engagement. therebetween.

Signed at Quincy, county of Adams, and

.1 State ol' Illinois, this 20th clay of March,

JAMES R. \VILL'IAMS. 

